Texas at El Paso (UTEP) seeks to enhance the research capability of the Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC) by fostering a new initiative in the area of Environmental Toxicology. This will be accomplished through (1) startup support for a new Environmental Toxicologist; (2) establishment of an aquatic laboratory and acquisition of specialized equipment to enhance the physical infrastructure for toxicology research; (3) award of Developmental Research and Proposal Enhancement grants to assist investigators in preparing and obtaining extramural funding; (4) salaries for laboratory technicians to enhance research productivity; (5) travel support for participants to attend national meetings and present the results of their research, participate in workshops, and consult with senior colleagues (6) summer fellowships for BBRC participants to establish external research collaborations with senior colleagues at other institutions; and (7) augmentation of information retrieval capabilities by supplementing the library's serial subscriptions and monographs in the areas of environmental toxicology, and through telecomunications upgrades to better access the world's biomedical literature. These measures are designed to develop sufficient capabilities for research into human and environmental health to justify application for an NIIEHS Developmental Center Grant by the end of the grant period.